Bawku East District is one of six districts in the Upper East Region of Ghana. It covers an area of 2,067sq.km. It is strategically located and shares common boundaries with Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, Bawku West District to the west and East Mamprusi District to the south. The district has a population of 307,162 people.

There is a District Chief Executive, a Presiding Member and 78 District Assembly members; 54 elected and 24 appointed. Gender representation: six women all by way of appointment.

There are 21 sub-district structures comprising one Urban council and 20 Area Councils.

Local Government Elections
The general purpose of the exercise was to develop and implement programme / activities that will:

• Increase awareness among the voter population
• Provide better opportunities for all especially the vulnerable to fully participate in the electoral process
• Create space for the building of relationships between Civil Society Organisations and government agencies that have roles to play in the election process
• Serve as an entry strategy for the PPLG programme
  

FEMALE REPRESENTATION IN DISTRICT ASSEMBLIES – UPPER EAST REGION

HIPC Watch Activities
A 15 Member Committee has been formed under the HIPC Watch activities to monitor the disbursement and implementation of HIPC funds and projects in line with the guidelines established by the Government of Ghana.

The composition of the 15-member committee comprises: The PPLG Programme Facilitator and both CSO and District Assembly representatives.
Monitoring is being done at a number of levels, i.e. the District Assembly and MDAs level where the receipt and disbursement of HIPC funds is tracked. Secondly, at the community level where physical inspection of projects is carried out as well as discussions with community representatives on their level of participation in the identification and implementation of the projects.

Peace Initiatives
The district has experienced a number of ethnic/chieftaincy conflicts since 1984. These conflicts have assumed a political dimension. Ibis has made peace and security its priority concern as a way of promoting development in the area. Ibis is therefore a member of the Bawku Peace Initiative, which has carried out a number of workshops on peace building in the district. Ibis is also funding BEWDA to undertake peace and society building activities in the district.

National Policy Dialogue
This will be done at two levels in collaboration with the National NGO partner(s), i.e. at sub-programme level based on empirical research on pertinent issues as well as from the Local Government Election follow-up activities. Public fora will be held with district and regional level stakeholders to solicit their views on topical issues for policy dialogue and advocacy.

Partners
The sub-programme office is in partnership with the Bawku East Women’s Development Association (BEWDA) as a civil society partner and the Bawku East District Assembly as the Public sector partner. We are currently exploring the possibility of engaging other civil society organizations for an effective interface with the District Assembly.